Roommates
What questions should I ask a potential roommate?
Updated By the Housing Rocket moderators
Short answer
Ask about the things roommates actually fight over: money, cleanliness, noise, guests and schedules. Good questions include how they pay bills, what clean means to them, how often people stay over, when they sleep and work, and why they left their last place.
Skip "Are you clean?" because everyone says yes. Ask questions that make people describe what they actually do:
- How do you usually split bills with roommates, and has anyone ever had to chase you for money?
- What does your kitchen look like after you cook on a weeknight?
- How often do friends or a partner stay over, and for how long?
- What time do you usually go to bed and get up? Do you work from home?
- Do you drink, smoke or have parties at home?
- Do you have pets, or plan to get one?
- Why are you leaving your current place?
- How do you like to handle it when something bothers you?
Listen for specifics. Someone who says they left because "the landlord sold the building" is giving you something checkable. Someone vague about why they are moving, or about their income, deserves a follow-up.
Answer the same questions honestly yourself. A mismatch on sleep schedules or guests is not a dealbreaker if you both know about it upfront and agree how to handle it. It becomes one when it surfaces after you have both signed.
Want the whole picture? Read How to Find a Roommate You Can Actually Live With.